


there's a promise (for the ones who just hold on)

by SailorChibi



Series: The Protectors [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Darcy Lewis, BAMF Women, Badass Laura Barton, Betty Ross is tired of the world, Bisexual Pepper Potts, Bisexual Tony Stark, Darcy Lewis Is a Good Bro, Domestic Avengers, Emotional Healing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Healing, Hurt Tony, It's a work in progress, M/M, Maggie Lang is a competent business woman, Mentor Tony Stark, More comfort than hurt, Pepper Potts as Rescue, Pepper Potts works too hard, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protect Tony Stark 2k16, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, The Protectors - Freeform, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Uncle Tony, Women Being Awesome, badass Darcy Lewis, badass jane foster, badass pepper potts, badass sharon carter, darcy lewis appreciation, except 3/4 of the team is still in wakanda, it's like the extremis version of Rescue, laura barton is a SHIELD agent, marvel women being awesome, or was a SHIELD agent, they'll get there someday, tony is loved by lots of people, tony stark is the mentor of the protectors, well kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 16:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8292929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Slowly but surely, the Protectors (Darcy, Jane, Laura, Sharon, and Pepper - and Shuri, when she was in town - with Hope and Vision [but not Tony, no matter how much he whined] [but maybe Betty someday, if she felt ready] as back-up when necessary) were learning how to be a team - and in the process, Darcy thought that just maybe they were all learning how to be something more, too.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't really what I had in mind for the second part of this (of course, I didn't know there would be a second part to this) but I've been listening to Brit Nicole's [The Sun Is Rising](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO36F--Vn1g) on repeat for the past two weeks and I couldn't get the scene of Darcy and Tony on the balcony out of my head. So then this happened.
> 
> Also I feel like "The Protectors" is ridiculously cliché but I am so unoriginal it's not even funny.

The tower was dark and quiet when Darcy first arrived, Jane and two suitcases that contained their worldly possessions in tow. She still remembered those days: when Tony didn't smile and Jane stared off into space more often than not. When getting either one of them to eat or sleep felt like a hard-won battle every damn time. When Darcy got drunk a couple of times just because she needed an excuse to shove her face into a pillow and scream until her throat was hoarse.

Because things between Pepper and Tony were still weird then, and Thor was god knows where, and Rhodes was still recuperating, and Vision didn't really help because Tony flinched every time he came near. It was just Darcy working against a constant, uphill battle, like that old Greek myth about the guy who was sentenced to an eternity of pushing a bolder up the hill only to have it roll back down to the bottom.

 _Now_ , though.

"Incoming!"

Darcy twisted, a rush of glee slicing through the exhaustion as the suit responded. She brought one hand up and shot a repulsor blast right into the face of the robot that had just tried to slice her in two. From overhead, Jane swooped down looking like some kind of ancient goddess and cleaved the son of a bitch in half. The robot fell to the ground in a shower of sparking remains. Jane grinned at her and Darcy let the faceplate slide up, grinning back helplessly. 

"Good job, guys," Laura shouted in their ears. "Whoops!" Then she laughed, and an arrow shot over Darcy's head to nail another robot in the eye. It sank backwards, beeping in alarm, and Jane spun around and took it out easily.

"Nice," Darcy said appreciatively, intending the compliment for both of them. 

Laura got off another arrow, felling a fifth robot, before waving cheerfully. Beside her, Sharon stabbed one robot, sending it careening into a second; she got her hands into the wires of the second robot and yanked them out savagely. Fire shot over their heads, blazing the remaining three robots to a crisp. Pepper jogged over, looking as cool and crisp as she had when she'd rolled out of bed that morning. Darcy eyed her, wondering a little jealously what Pepper's secret was. There had to be something behind the ability to always look perfect.

"That's the last of them," Sharon said over the communicators. "SHIELD's on their way. I think we're good to head home."

"Sounds good to me," Darcy said. "Anyone need a lift?"

She flew down a little lower and held her arms out, letting Laura and Sharon each take a side. Pepper grabbed onto Jane. As reporters started converging on the scene, they took off. Darcy whooped and did a little loop, grinning when Laura squeaked and held on a little tighter. Unanimously, they headed for Stark Tower; as they approached she slowed, letting Jane and Pepper get there first, and found Betty, Maggie and Cassie waiting for them on the launch pad when they finally touched down. 

"How did it go?" Betty asked, as though she didn't already know. If something had gone wrong, she and Vision would've been out there with them.

"Fabulous," Darcy declared.

"Pepper, there's been a fire at the Stark Industries in Russia," Maggie said. "They're estimating half a million dollars in damages and the media has been calling us asking for quotes. So far I've told them no comment, but they want more details." She consulted the Starkpad she was carrying. "Also, Markus Smith has called for you half a dozen times and is, at this point, staunchly refusing to give up. You also have to decide whether we're launching the new phone or the tablet first. Apple recently moved up their launch of the new phone by two months." She lifted her head, mouth curving up into a half-smile. "But there's a meeting discussing that in more detail in twenty minutes, if you're up for making it."

Pepper sighed, the fire fizzing out from under her skin, and leaving her looking very tired instead. "Of course I am. Come on, then." She patted Cassie absently on the head and fell into step beside Maggie, the two of them already knee-deep in the kind of heavy duty business talk that made Darcy's head spin when she listened to it for too long. Darcy watched them go, idly thinking to herself that Tony wasn't the only one who could benefit from a visit from the Wakandan portion of their team.

Speaking of Tony...

"Where's our generous benefactor?" she asked, stepping towards the robots and letting them do their thing. She was sorry to see the suit go in a way, but it was nice to let the breeze wash over her sweat-soaked body. She gathered her hair with her hand, holding it up above her neck for a little extra relief.

"Last I saw, he was talking to Thor and Vision while refusing to go back to bed," Betty said. "Even though he's not supposed to be up for more than half an hour at a time."

"Thor's here?" Jane was frowning ferociously. She all but ran for the door.

Darcy shrugged at Betty. "That'll take care of that," she said optimistically. 

"He's an idiot," Sharon muttered, looking exasperated. "I told him to _rest_."

"It's like talking to a brick wall," Laura said. "Cassie, honey, where are my kids?"

"I promised I wouldn't say," Cassie said, all wide-eyed innocence.

Laura sighed. "That means they're doing something they're not supposed to be doing. Come on, scamp." She held a hand out to Cassie, who grabbed it. Betty and Sharon drifted after them, speaking in low tones. Darcy wasn't sure what they were talking about, but if pressed to guess she suspected it had something to do with Bruce Banner. No one would come right out and admit that they were searching for Banner, but Darcy would've bet the suit that _someone_ was. If not Betty and Tony, then definitely SHIELD. The problem was that Banner just didn't want to be found.

Left alone on the ramp, she let her hair fall down around her shoulders and turned around to look down at the city. New York's skyline was always beautiful at sunset, but there was something poetic about the smoke rising from where they'd been fighting ten minutes ago. Already, she could make out the black-suited figures converging on the smoking remains of the robots. In a matter of hours, there would be nothing but a couple of craters and scorch marks to ever prove that anything had happened there.

That was the way it should be. For a moment, the sense of pride that filled Darcy was so intense that she couldn't breathe, swelling up from somewhere near her sternum and surging upwards. Sometimes it was still hard to wrap her mind around the fact that she was a hero now, fighting to protect New York on a near-daily basis. The public's reception of the Protectors had been tentative, but so far the press had been nearly all positive. It helped that they were actively working with the U.N., not against them like certain other heroes Darcy tried not to think about.

Which was easier said than done, but at least now there were days when Tony actually smiled. So, you know, progress.

The wind blew again and she shivered, chilled now, and turned to head indoors. A long, hot shower helped to soothe some of the ache from her muscles. She emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam to find Tony sitting on her bed, fiddling with something. Darcy raised an eyebrow and walked over to her sizeable closet, dropping her towel. That was enough to get Tony's attention; he looked up, running an appreciative eye over her body, but he seemed distracted.

"Suit work okay?"

"Left gauntlet was a little slow to respond, but otherwise it was perfect," Darcy said, pulling her panties up. She hooked on a bra, sliding the straps up onto her shoulders. 

"That's good." He went quiet again, hunching in a little the way he always did when he was in pain.

"You take your meds?" Darcy asked knowingly.

"No."

"Well, at least you're honest." She threw on a blue plaid shirt and buttoned it as she walked back to the bed. "What's up?"

Tony didn't say a thing. He stood up, set whatever he'd been fiddling with on the bed, and walked out without a word. Darcy stared at the brand new Starkphone he'd left behind, which she knew for a fact wasn't even released on the market yet since Pepper and Maggie were at a meeting arguing about it, and sighed. 

She'd never expected to spend her time doubling as a therapist either, but there you go. She grabbed the phone, slipped on a pair of jeans and padded, barefoot, after Tony. 

Glutton for punishment that he was, he'd gone out onto the living room balcony and was sitting on the cold ground, looking out at the city. Night had fallen and the stars were emerging. Darcy grabbed one of the extra-large blankets from the couch - Sharon was a coveter of blankets, and more mysteriously appeared every time Darcy turned around - and went out to join him. She sat down beside him, crossing her legs, and wrapped the blanket around both their shoulders. Tony huffed a little but allowed it, even shifted a little closer so that it could cover them both.

"You guys work well as a team," Tony said after a long time.

"We try," Darcy said. "Sometimes it works better than at other times. I think we all remember the time that Pepper burned half of Jane's hair off by accident, or the time that I almost broke Sharon's arm." She bumped their shoulders together gently. "We learned from the best."

"I don't know who that would be," Tony muttered.

"I do. Short guy, kinda old, claims himself as a playboy when really -"

"I am not short! Or old!"

Darcy grinned. "I am an inch taller than you," she informed him smugly. 

"The hell you are."

"If you took off the heels you're not supposed to be wearing, I'd prove it," she said, tapping his shoes. Tony tucked his feet under the blanket, as though that could hide the truth. She smirked at him, considering her point won, and after a moment he reluctantly smiled back.

They sat there for a little while longer while the sky grew darker, not speaking, until Lila crept out to join them. She stood in front of Tony and made big, sad eyes until Tony gave in and opened his arms. Grinning, Lila crawled into his lap and made herself comfortable, Tony grimacing the whole time as her bony elbows knocked against sore and healing places, but he never said a word, and he tenderly tucked the blanket around her once she was settled.

"Is your mom still looking for you?" he asked.

"Nope," Lila said, nuzzling her head into his shoulder. She shut her eyes, as though that was enough to end the conversation, and Tony sighed.

"FRIDAY, please tell Laura where Lila is so she doesn't kill me later."

"Done, Boss," FRIDAY said after a moment.

"Thanks," Tony said, setting a hand on Lila's head. Darcy looked at the frankly adorable sight for about thirty seconds straight, not saying a word, until Tony grew uncomfortable with her scrutiny. He frowned at her and she obediently turned away, looking back at the city, but not before she let a small smile cross her face.

"You're gonna be okay," she said.

"What?"

"You heard me. You're gonna be okay, Tony."

"Are you psychic now?" Tony said, raising an eyebrow. "Because you should really warn a guy first. There's a reason I don't hang around the X-Men much."

Darcy smiled. "Some things you don't need to be psychic to know," she said. "You know them here." She tapped her chest. 

"Oh, really. Is that what told you to taser Thor the first time you met him?"

"I stand by my decisions," she said loftily, but she hooked her arm through his and leaned into him, setting her head carefully on his shoulder. "You'll be okay. I mean that."

Tony stayed quiet, but after a moment she felt him relax. His head came to rest on top of hers, and this time Darcy smiled to herself. She was pretty sure that he fell asleep after a couple of minutes; Lila certainly did, one thin hand clutching Darcy's and the other clinging to Tony's shirt, letting out soft snores. Darcy stayed awake, admiring the lights. She couldn't see the stars that well, but that was okay.

She played with the phone for at least an hour while Tony and Lila slept, making notes about what worked and what didn't. It wasn't the first time she'd played beta tester for Tony and Pepper, and it wouldn't be the last. Laura was good at it too - Sharon didn't usually have the patience for it, and Jane wasn't that adept at technology. But Darcy liked it. It was fun, picking out the flaws, and Tony always got hilariously insulted when she pointed out the errors in his coding.

"Ms. Lewis," FRIDAY said finally, soft enough not to wake anyone.

"Darcy, FRIDAY," Darcy said, not looking up. "I know you can say it. Two syllables. Dar-cy. Very easy."

"Darcy," T'Challa offered, and Darcy straightened up fast and suddenly regretted the holes in the jeans she was wearing as the King of Wakanda stepped out onto the balcony. He was smiling with that edge of weariness Darcy had quickly become accustomed to, but affection edged it out when his eyes fell on Tony.

Darcy might have, a handful of times, dreamt about the day a guy would look at her the way T'Challa looked at Tony.

"Hello, your highness," she said.

"It's T'Challa," T'Challa said, infinitely patient. "I hear you did very well in your battle today."

She might have preened a little. "We tried. They were just Doombots, so you know, not anything that was an actual challenge. But we're still ironing some kinks out."

"Iron Man," Tony mumbled, head coming up with a start. T'Challa's smile went a little soppy around the edges, and Darcy snorted.

"On that note, we'll get out of your way," she said to T'Challa, prying Lila out of Tony's lap. Lila grumbled when she was exposed to the cool air but curled into Darcy's arms, cold nose pressed against Darcy's throat, and it never ceased to amaze Darcy at just how _fast_ little kids could worm their way into your heart. She'd only known Lila for like four months and she was already 100% certain that she would not hesitate to taser anyone who so much as looked at Lila the wrong way.

She carried Lila back into the living room, kicking the door shut behind her to give Tony and T'Challa a little privacy. Laura was sitting on the couch, Nate nursing in her arms and Cooper at her feet, Cassie curled up beside her. Jane was sitting in a chair alone - Darcy didn't dare ask where Thor had gone - but Shuri and Pepper were sharing a chair. Darcy blinked at that, surprised to find Pepper back so quickly, and Shuri shot her a wink as she combed her fingers through Pepper's red hair.

"You're badass," Darcy mouthed back. Shuri grinned.

"Maggie and Jim had an event to go to. I'm on babysitting duty tonight," Laura said, scooting over to make room for Lila. Darcy set her down carefully, letting Lila slide sideways into her mom. Laura wrapped her free arm around Lila's shoulders, somehow managing to bend enough to kiss Lila's forehead without disturbing Nate.

"Where's Sharon?" Darcy asked.

"She said something about SHIELD and Coulson and left with the Vision. I didn't press for details. Sometimes it's better not to ask, I've found."

"And Betty? Hope?"

Laura raised an amused eyebrow. Darcy didn't back down. Okay, maybe it was a little weird that she liked to keep tabs on everyone. Technically, she was only responsible for keeping Jane - and to a certain extent, Tony, since he let them all live here for free - fed and watered. But Darcy had never cared about being weird and she wasn't about to start. 

"You'll find Hope attending a Foundation party," Pepper said, eyes half-closed in bliss as Shuri moved on to massaging her shoulders. "Rhodey and Carol are there too. I should be there, too..."

"You're not going anywhere," Shuri said firmly. "We've talked about this. You complain about Tony pushing himself too hard, but you're just as bad. Maggie was more than willing to represent Stark Industries tonight. You know she's going to do a wonderful job." She rubbed a little harder, digging her thumbs in. "And you need a break."

"But I have so much to do," Pepper said, making no attempt whatsoever to move.

"And it will all be there tomorrow." Shuri punctuated her sentence with a particularly deep push. Pepper made a sound not usually heard outside of the bedroom and visibly melted, tipping her head back into Shuri's grip. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Shuri smiled and leaned down to give her a quick, upside down kiss.

The balcony doors slid open behind Darcy, and Tony said, "How about pizza? Chinese? There's an awesome Thai place around the corner."

"I could go for pizza," Laura said. 

"I'll get Betty," Darcy volunteered, though she wasn't sure anyone actually heard her in the ensuing fight about toppings that broke out. This happened every time, and it was a moot point really because in the end T'Challa or Shuri would put down their credit cards - over Tony's protests, because they never let Tony pay - and everyone would end up with their own large pizza. But as long as there was a hot pepper and chicken pizza with extra cheese in Darcy's future, they could bicker as long as they wanted.

She padded over to the elevators and stepped inside. FRIDAY took her automatically down to the labs, where Jane, Tony and Betty all shared a space. They each had their own floors, of course, but Darcy had learned a long time ago that sometimes science was easier with other people. 

Right now, as expected, Betty was hunched over one of the tables. She wasn't working on anything, though. Her head was in her hands and her shoulders were shaking and Darcy stopped short, feeling like the worst kind of voyeur. 

"Betty?" she said, and immediately hated herself for not just walking away.

Betty tensed a little before turning around. Her face was, surprisingly, dry. "Darcy? What's wrong?"

"Pizza," Darcy said. "I - we're all hungry."

"Oh. Of course. You all fought a hard battle today." Betty went to slide off the stool, moving slowly, wearily, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and it hurt, because Betty hadn't fought with them - not yet - but she was still a part of the team, and it wasn't fair.

"We could find him," Darcy heard herself say.

Betty froze.

Shit.

"I mean - Tony could. If you wanted him to."

"Tony can't do everything," Betty said.

"I beg to differ," Darcy said, and crossed her arms. "He made me a suit that can fly and let me shoot tasers out of my hands. Man's a god as far as I'm concerned."

"Thor might have a complaint about that," Betty said, but the joke fell flat. She sighed. "Tony's tried. Frankly, Darcy, I don't think Bruce wants to be found right now. And I don't think I have any right to drag him back." She pressed her lips together into a thin line. It looked painful, holding that much inside.

"I'll give you that," Darcy said slowly. 

"I just feel like - I gave him his space because it was what he wanted. He didn't ask what _I_ wanted," Betty said. She sounded a little mad. "I don't begrudge him for Agent Romanov, but -" She stopped speaking and folded her arms across her chest.

Darcy looked at her and, suddenly, remembered Jane. Remembered sitting in the kitchen with Jane in the early morning hours, listening to Jane talk herself in circles. Because Thor was a prince, and of course Thor had to return home, and it wasn't right for Jane to be angry about that. And remembered that split second when Jane's face crumbled and she finally admitted, right out loud, that she was so fucking furious at Thor for just up and leaving that she could have gladly borrowed Darcy's taser.

She said, "You're allowed to be mad at him."

Betty just looked at her.

"I'm just saying. I don't know if anyone told you that. But it's true. You're allowed to be mad at someone who hurt you, no matter what their reason was."

"I'm so worried about him," Betty whispered finally, like it was some terrible secret. Maybe, to her, it was.

"You can be mad and worried at the same time," Darcy pointed out. "And you can like, be mad and worried and do science and you can come upstairs and eat pizza too."

For the first time since Darcy had walked into the lab, Betty actually smiled. "Pizza," she said, "sounds lovely."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
